We always try to find ways to make meal preparation easier, but we also don’t want to sacrifice flavor or nutrition. Sometimes that is a tough task! One way to achieve both, as well as keep some variety in our meal rotation, is to use marinades.
- Easy to make. You don’t need a lot of experience to make a delicious marinade. Usually you just need to chop some ingredients and measure others.
- Save time. Make the marinades the night before, or in the morning, and then begin marinating when you get home. Depending on the protein you use, you can even get something marinating in the morning (this usually works on larger, tougher cuts of meat).
- Save money. Almost always, the ingredients in home-made marinade are less expensive than pre-made.
- Be healthier. Avoid the high fructose and additives in some processed sauces.
- Make a double batch. You can cook the second batch at the same time and either freeze it, or use leftovers for other meals throughout the week. Or freeze the second batch in the marinade before cooking.
Marinades (we are referring to wet marinades here, not dry marinades, or spice rubs) are really just a combination of oil, an acid (like citrus juice, vinegar, wine, buttermilk, or yogurt), and seasonings. Although they are especially great to use in the summer for grilling, they are so versatile that you can take advantage of them anytime. In addition to grilling, marinated proteins can be stir-fried, pan roasted, or just broiled in an oven.
Tips for successful marinating:
- Keep ingredients of favorite marinades on hand. Lots of marinades can be made with pantry ingredients, so be sure to keep them stocked. As you plan your weekly meals, you can add on other ingredients to your grocery list like fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, etc…
- Read a recipe carefully to determine how long your protein will need to marinate. This can help you decide when to make the marinade and give you a better sense of timing for getting dinner ready.
- For meats like skirt or flank steak, poke the surface of the meat on both sides with a fork to help the flavors penetrate better.
- Toss the protein and marinade into a zip top bag, squeezing out as much air as you can before sealing. We love this method because it puts more surface area of the protein in contact with the marinade. Alternatively, you can use a large baking dish and cover with plastic wrap.
- If you can, flip the marinated item over halfway through the soaking time.
- Allow meats to come to room temperature before cooking if you have been marinating in the fridge. Most items should be refrigerated while marinating (especially anything left to marinade over an hour) to eliminate any possibility of bacteria spreading.
- Before cooking, wipe off as much of the marinade from the protein as you can so that it will cook properly.
Delicious!
